Chapter 6 - THE SECRET EMILY NEVER KNEW
Daniel read the note twice.
Then he turned toward Emily.
"Do you know what this means?"
She shook her head, visibly shaken.
"I swear I don't."
The accusation hurt more than either of them expected. They'd survived Margaret's cruelty together, but the note had found the one weakness their enemies needed: doubt.
Clara examined the gravestone.
"Rebecca's name was carved recently. This isn't an old grave."
Evelyn crouched beside the base.
There were fresh scratches around the stone, as though someone had removed a plaque and replaced it.
Marcus discovered a small metal box hidden beneath the nearby bench.
Inside was a flash drive and a handwritten letter addressed to Daniel.
His father's handwriting appeared again.
If you're reading this, then the people I feared have found a way to interfere with the trust. Do not trust anyone who claims Rebecca betrayed us. She was trying to protect you.
Daniel closed his eyes.
His father had anticipated this moment.
They returned to Evelyn's office and opened the files on an isolated computer.
The first recording showed Richard sitting in his study, visibly ill but alert.
"If Daniel sees this," Richard said, "then Margaret has likely discovered the second agreement."
He explained that the trust was designed to protect both his children. Daniel would receive control of the company, while Rebecca would oversee an independent foundation funded by a portion of the estate.
Neither sibling could sell the foundation's assets without the other's approval.
The arrangement was intended to prevent any one person from controlling the entire fortune.
But the next recording revealed something worse.
Margaret stood in Richard's study, arguing with Thomas.
"You promised me the second agreement would never surface," she said.
Thomas answered, "I promised to keep it hidden. I didn't promise your son would never find the first one."
Margaret's voice dropped.
"If Daniel learns Rebecca is alive, he'll give her everything."
"Not everything," Thomas replied. "Only what your husband legally set aside."
The recording ended.
Emily stared at the screen.
"Your mother knew Rebecca was alive."
Daniel nodded slowly.
"And she helped Thomas hide her."
His phone rang.
An unknown number.
He answered without speaking.
A woman's voice emerged, quiet and strained.
"Daniel?"
He froze.
"Who is this?"
"My name is Rebecca Whitmore."
Clara covered her mouth.
Daniel gripped the phone.
"Where are you?"
"Somewhere safe. For now."
"Why didn't you contact me?"
"Because every time I tried, your mother intercepted the message. She told me you knew about me and wanted nothing to do with me."
Daniel's face tightened.
"That's a lie."
"I know that now."
He swallowed hard.
"Come home. We can fix this."
"I can't. Not yet."
"Why?"
Rebecca hesitated.
"Because Thomas has something that could destroy both of us."
Daniel stepped away from the others.
"What does he have?"
"A recording of your father making a confession. One that makes it look like he stole money from the company before he died."
Daniel went still.
"That's impossible."
"Maybe. But if Thomas releases it, the board will remove you, the trust will be frozen, and your mother will gain control of everything."
"Then send me the recording."
"I can't."
"Rebecca, please."
Her voice broke.
"Daniel, I want to believe you. But I need to know one thing first."
"What?"
"Did you marry Emily because you loved her, or because your father secretly arranged for her to inherit something?"
Daniel stared at Emily through the glass wall.
"What are you talking about?"
Rebecca whispered, "Your father knew who Emily was long before you met her."
Then the line went dead.
Daniel slowly lowered the phone.
Emily had heard enough to understand the question.
"Daniel," she said, "what did your father know about me?"
May you like
He had no answer.
And for the first time since their wedding, Emily wondered whether the man she'd married had been drawn into a story that began long before their first meeting.
